ABSTRACT
First issued by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in 1999, the ‘early learning goals’ were reissued a year later in the publication entitled Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (QCA 2000) to include detailed guidance on how educators can successfully meet the illustrated early learning goals. Hodge refers to this publication as ‘the core reference document for the successful implementation of the foundation stage from September 2000’ (in QCA 2000: 2). The structure offered with this guidance provides staff with desperately needed objectives; the publication and subsequent implementation of these goals enable us to create art experiences and build an art curriculum with purpose and clarity.
